Hankash: Lesson lies in implementing the economic plan, not approving it

Sat 23 May 2020 at 20:18 Politics

NNA - Member of the "Kataeb" Parliamentary Bloc, Deputy Elias Hankash, shared Saturday the content of his speech during the parliamentary economic committee session that was held yesterday in the presence of Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni, in which he underlined "that many plans were approved previously and remained ink on paper; hence, the lesson lies in implementing the plan and not its approval."

Hankash considered that "the government's economic plan includes positive and negative points," noting that he posed several questions to the government, represented by the Minister of Finance, which included the following:

- How will the government implement austerity policies at a time when we need to secure economic growth, prosperity and creating job opportunities?

- How does the government expect an increase in state revenues by imposing taxes on companies that are basically bankrupt or defaulted?

Hankash also indicated that attracting capital is impossible in light of the absence of foreign investment, the interruption of expatriate funds and the lack of touristic movement in the country.

He stressed that "the waste and corruption funds that feed some political parties must be canceled,” while pointing to the need to address the situation of some public institutions which are in need of appointing new administrative boards and governing bodies.

“A Lebanese decision must be taken to immediately control the borders to stop the attrition taking place," Hankash went on to emphasize.

He added: "The majority of companies in Lebanon evade taxes through ‘double booking’, and this is a huge money waste that must be addressed."

“We are in dire need of political stability, but some parties refuse neutrality and want to plunge Lebanon into international and regional wars that have nothing to do with the country, so today we are paying the price of engaging Lebanon in conflicts with its historical friends, be it the Gulf states or Western countries, at a time when we need good relations with these countries to stand by Lebanon,” Hankash corroborated.

He concluded by stressing that “the most important thing now is to reproduce a political class by holding early parliamentary elections to restore the citizen’s confidence in the constitutional institutions and implement reforms, so that we can immediately address the economic situation in a serious manner.”

==================R.Sh.

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